UMP Summernationals results

DirtNews Digest Your Online Source For Late Model Dirt Track Racing Todd Turner, editor ----------------------- CONTENTS: UMP Summernationals results MACON, Ill: Local drivers upsets Pierce, Moyer at tiny track. FARMER CITY, Ill: Pierce gets out to big lead, triumphs UPDATE: Summernationals schedules and results ----------------------- UNITED MIDWESTERN PROMOTERS UMP Summernationals

MACON, Ill. (Thursday) Joe Ross Jr. of Springfield, Ill., got the biggest victory of his career, upsetting the traveling stars on the UMP Summernationals tour for a $5,000 victory at Macon Speedway in the Herald & Review 100. Ross finished just ahead of Bob Pierce of Danville, Ill., and Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville, Ark., to win the 100-lap race on the 1/5-mile bullring. Billy Drake of Bloomington, Ill., and Ed Dixon of Washington, Mo., who finished on a flat tire, rounded out the top five. Polesitter Dick Taylor led the first 22 laps before Ross and Dixon began a battle for the rest of the race. Dixon led for the last time on lap 81, and Ross took the lead and held off Pierce and Moyer as the flat tire slowed Dixon.

Car count: 44 late models. Fast dash: Dick Taylor (24), Springfield, Ill.; Billy Drake (9), Bloomington, Ill.; Jeff Leka (10), Buffalo, Ill.; Ed Dixon (50), Washington, Mo. First heat: Marvin Burton (B97), Georgetown, Ill.; Bob Pierce (Rat1), Danville, Ill.; Gary Webb (56), Davenport, Iowa; Jim Curry (7), Norman, Ind. Second heat: Shannon Babb (14), Decatur, Ill.; Ed Bauman (1), Springfield, Ill.; Brian Ater (441), Decatur, Ill.; Ronnie Fisher (07), Lile, Ill. Third heat: Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark.; Rick Aukland (12), Fargo, N.D.; Steve Sheppard Jr. (5), Springfield, Ill.; Corey Turner (17), Cullom, Ill. Fourth heat: Jeff Riblet; Steve Russell (G1), Ponotoc, Miss.; Greg Bates; Jim Rarick (32), Moweaqua, Ill. Consolation: Curry, Fisher. Feature results (100 laps): Ross Jr., Pierce, Moyer, Drake, Dixon, Sheppard Jr., Russell, Kevin Weaver, Webb, Leka, Taylor, Riblet, Bates, Burton, Fisher, Bauman, Aukland, Curry, Babb, Ater. Notes: It was Ross' biggest victory in laps, money and prestige .... "That race is kind of like a career highlight I've always looked for," said Ross, a 28-year-old, 10-year veteran of dirt late models. ------------------------- UNITED MIDWESTERN PROMOTERS UMP Summernationals

FARMER CITY, Ill. (Friday) Bob Pierce of Danville, Ill., jumped out to a big lead, then held off a last-ditch charge by Bill Frye of Greenbrier, Ark., to win $5,000 in a 50-lap Summernationals feature event at Farmer City Speedway. Pierce, the polesitter after winning the fast dash, led the entire way, lapping all but seven competitors on the quarter-mile oval. Frye, 12th-starting Rick Aukland of Fargo, N.D., Tom Rients of Streator, Ill., and Freddy Smith of Baton Rouge, La., rounded out the top five. Pierce led by nearly a quarter of a lap by the 10th circuit, and Frye worked his way past Reints for second by lap 18. By lap 30, Frye used the low side to start closing on Pierce, who was maneuvering high and low through lapped traffic. Donnie Barnhart's flat tire on lap 42 that caused a caution flag bunched up the field, but a lapped car held up Frye's charge and Pierce pulled away to win comfortably eight laps later.

Car count: 42 late models. Qualifying (in order of time): Freddy Smith (00), Baton Rouge, La. 12.914 (Track record; breaks mark of 13.105 set by Jim Leka, Illiopilis, Ill., in 1993) Doug McCammon (92), Palestine, Ill., 13.161 Jay Sparks (7), Metamora, Ill., 13.266. Bill Frye (66), Greenbrier, Ark., 13.391 Tom Rients (49), Streator, Ill., 13.393 Brian Ater (441), Decatur, Ill., 13.583 Mike Mullvain (16a), Bartonville, Ill., 13.624 Bob Pierce (32), Danville, Ill., 13.668 Joe Ross Jr. (25), Springfield, Ill., 13.673 Bryan Dunaway (91), Ruddick, Ill., 13.692 Dennis Erb Jr. (28), Carpentersville, Ill., 13.709 Kevin Gundaker (11), St. Charles, Ill., 13.722 Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark., 13.762 Shannon Babb (14), Decatur, Ill., 13.738 Kevin Weaver (B12), Gibson City, Ill., 13.800 Corey Turner (17), Cullom, Ill., 13.806 Jim Curry (7), Norman, Ind., 13.868 Steve Sheppard Jr. (10), Springfield, Ill., 13.868 Donnie Barnhart (11), North Little Rock, Ark., 13.901 Steve Russell (G1), Ponotoc, Miss., 13.961 Leslie Essary (5), Springfield, Mo., 13.973 Gary May (45), Minonk, Ill., 13.995 Rick Aukland (12), Fargo, N.D., 14.055 John Gill (75), Mitchell, Ind., 14.077 Marvin Burton (B97), Georgetown, Ill., 14.077 Kerry Hansen (25H), Royal, Wis., 14.080 Jim Rarick (32), Moweaqua, Ill., 14.125 Rob Halstead (52), Thunder Bay, Ontario, 14.145 Butch Garner (23), Forsyth, Ill., 14.167 Dick Taylor (24), Springfield, Ill., 14.187 Butch Smith (7), Decatur, Ill., 14.205 Billy Drake (9), Bloomington, Ill., 14.224 Steve Lance Jr. (H6), Cuba, Ill., 14.243 Curt Piercy (77), Normal, Ill., 14.420 Gary Nettleton (27), Saybrook, Ill., 14.441 Nick Kuipers (44), Elburn, Ill., 14.461 Jeff Thrasher (59), Kenny, Ill., 14.478 Matt Taylor (10x), Springfield, Ill., 14.495 Mark Weisnicht (88), Shawano, Wis., 14.584 Lonnie Franklin (5F), Gibson City, Ill., 14.724 Ronnie Fisher (07), Lile, Ill., 15.014 David Leach (3), 30.549 Fast dash: Pierce, Smith, Rients, McCammon, Ater, Frye, May, Sparks, Erb Jr. First heat: Curry, Babb, Mullvain, Essary, M. Taylor, May, D. Taylor, Hansen, Leach, Piercy. Second heat: Moyer, Aukland, Sheppard Jr., Ross Jr., Weisnicht, Nettleton, Rarick, Sparks (Butch Smith scratched). Third heat: Weaver, Dunaway, Barnhart, Drake, Gill, Halstead Fourth heat: Russell, Burton, Gundaker, Turner, Fisher, Consolation: Essary, Drake, Gill, Ross Jr., Fisher, D. Taylor, Weisnicht, Lance Jr., Piercy, M. Taylor, Kuipers, Turner, Halstead, Franklin, Leach, Thrasher. Feature results (50 laps): Pierce, Frye, Aukland, Rients, Smith, Curry, Moyer, Weaver, Sheppard Jr., McCammon, Drake, Russell, Babb, Dunaway, Gundaker, Mullvain, Burton, Barnhart, Ater, Essary. Notes: Several MLRA regulars beefed up a strong field .... the appearances of Billy Moyer and Freddy Smith also gave the field strength .... Bill Frye, in his first visit to Farmer City, went as low as he could looking for traction. "I call if the infield," said Frye. "We went into the grass a couple of times." .... the high said worked early in the night, but by the consolation the low side held the only traction .... eight states and Canada were represented .... Joe Ross Jr., who won the previous night's feature in Macon, Ill., loaded up before the 50-lapper Friday night after failing to qualify for the feature. "Just as well as I like Macon I hate this place," a chagrined Ross said. Next series race: Saturday, Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway, $5,000 to win. ------------------------- UMP Summernationals Schedule and Results July 1, Barren County Speedway, Glasgow, Ky., $5,000 (Terry English) July 2, GLV Raceway, Owensboro, Ky., $5000 (Steve Barnett) July 4, Kankakee (Ill. ) Speedway, $5,000 (rained out) July 5, Spoon River Speedway, Banner, Ill., $5,000 (postponed by rain) July 6, Macon (Ill.) Speedway, $5,000 (Joe Ross Jr.) July 7, Farmer City (Ill.) Speedway, $5,000 (Bob Pierce) July 8, American Legion Speedway, Fairbury, Ill., $5,000 July 9, LaSalle (Ill.) Speedway, $5,000 July 10, West Liberty (Iowa) Speedway, $5,000 July 11, Interstate 80 Speedway, Greenwood, Neb., $8,000 July 12, Steele County Fairgrounds, Owatonna, Minn., "The Gopher State 50", $10,000 July 13 Rain date July 14, Viking Speedway, Alexandria, Minn., $5,000 July 15, Cedar Lake Speedway, New Richmond, Wis., $5,000 July 16, Marshfield (Wis.) SuperSpeedway, $5,000 July 17, Spoon River Speedway, Banner, Ill., $5,000 (make up)